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"The Line" is a song by American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) rec ...
. The song is from the band's ninth studio album ''
Concrete and Gold ''Concrete and Gold'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released on September 15, 2017, through Roswell and RCA Records. It is the band's first album to be produced alongside Greg Kurstin. Described by the band as an ...
'', being released as a promotional song a week in advance of the album's release. It was released as the album's third single on May 1, 2018, after " Run" and " The Sky Is a Neighborhood".


Background

"The Line" is a song from the
Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) rec ...
ninth studio album ''
Concrete and Gold ''Concrete and Gold'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released on September 15, 2017, through Roswell and RCA Records. It is the band's first album to be produced alongside Greg Kurstin. Described by the band as an ...
'', and was the third song released ahead of the album's release, after Run" and " The Sky is a Neighborhood". It was released on September 7, 2017, some journalists describing it as a single, and others just describing it as a promotional song. The song was both released for music streaming, and released as an instant grat download - allowing a person who pre-ordered the album, to instantly receive the song prior to the album's release. In October 2017, the song was featured in commercials for TBS's post-season
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
coverage. On May 1, 2018, the song was released as the album's third single.


Themes and composition

Grohl explained the meaning of the title, stating that it is about "a search for hope in this day and age where you feel as if you're fighting for your life with every passing moment, and everything is on the line." Instrumentally, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...
'' described the track as a "raucous yet
melodic A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinati ...
rocker with colossal guitars and pounding drums that drive forward while lighter, pop-tinged instrumental touches swirl underneath." Many journalists noted the high energy of the song, with Blabbermouth noting its "propulsive melody" with "heartfelt lyrics" and a "rousing chorus", and ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' describing it as "blistering" and "
euphoric Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and danc ...
".
Team Rock ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form a ...
/
Classic Rock Magazine ''Classic Rock'' is a British magazine and website dedicated to rock music, owned and published by Future. It was launched in October 1998 and is based in London. The magazine publishes 13 editions a year, mainly covering rock bands from the 60, ...
described the track as having a huge sound that would go over well in large arenas and music festivals.


Reception

In a dedicated review of the song, ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'' praised the song as likely to be a standout track of the album, and describing the song as " blue chip" rock" and "a perennial sound you can set your clock by...huge guitars and winsome harmonies....all held together by a tone best described as openhearted and full-throated. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...
'' praised Grohl's powerful vocal performance in the song, specifically of the lines "The tears in your eyes/ Someday will dry/ We fight for our lives/ Because everything's on the line/ This time".
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
was far more negative of the track, ranking it the third worst Foo Fighter song of all time, 135th out of 137 songs, calling it "big and plodding", and ultimately concluding that it sounded out of place compared to the rest of the album. Conversely, DIY Magazine described it as "pretty much everything you'd want from a song by Dave Grohl and co – driving, propulsive and dramatic, it combines light and dark into a potent melting pot."


Personnel

Foo Fighters *
Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of grun ...
– lead vocals, guitar * Chris Shiflett – guitar *
Pat Smear Georg Albert Ruthenberg (born August 5, 1959), better known by his stage name Pat Smear, is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead guitarist and co-founder of Los Angeles-based punk band The Germs and for being a rhythm guitar ...
– guitar * Nate Mendel – bass *
Taylor Hawkins Oliver Taylor Hawkins (February 17, 1972 – March 25, 2022) was an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he recorded eight studio albums between 1999 and 2021. Before joining the band in 1997, he ...
– drums, backing vocals *
Rami Jaffee Rami Jaffee (born March 11, 1969) is an American musician. He is best known as the keyboardist for the rock band Foo Fighters, whom he initially joined in a touring and session capacity in 2005. Jaffee has contributed to six of the band's studi ...
– Mellotron, piano, B3 organ Other musicians *
Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs t ...
– bass synth, vibraphone * Jessy Greene – violin


Charts


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Line 2017 songs 2018 singles RCA Records singles Songs written by Dave Grohl Foo Fighters songs Song recordings produced by Greg Kurstin